Animal trap



Oct. 21, 1930.

J. R. WEATHERLY ANIMAL TRAP Filed Jan. 11, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 21, 1930. WEATHERLY 1,779,300

ANIMAL TRAP Filed Jan. 11, 1930 s Sheets-Sheet 3 .1; 4 -4 of Fig. 1.

Patented Oct. 2l, 1930 i I I i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN R. WEATHERLY,OF SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALFTO TERESA MLCHANDLER, OF SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA ANIMAL TRAP Application filed January 11, 1930. Serial No. 420,161.

This invention relates to an improvement through the cage 1 and is Wound onto a drum in animal traps. r. 15 fixed on the shaft 16, geared as at 17 to a- The object of the invention isto improve small motor 18. -The motor illustrated is of and simplify the manner and principle of the electric type, but other forms may be i trapping various animals, such as rats or the used as found desirable, as for instance a- 55 like, and to provide forautomatic self resetspring motor. g V ting of the trap after one or more rats have The drum has an arm 19 connected therebeen caught. with in position to engage a pin 20 extending In the accompanying drawings: outwardly from the disk 21, which is thread- 10 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the trap; ed onto a fixed screw 22, in which the shaft 16 50 Fig. 2 is an end view thereof; may be journaled.

Fig. 3 is an end View of theopposite end; As the drum 15 is rotated, thisturns the and. r H r disk 21 and causes it to feed lengthwise of the Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line screw '22until a pin 23 carried by the disk en- A cage ,isdesignated generally by the reaking the electric circuit which extends numeral 1,,being enclosed on all four sides to the motor 18, thus disconnecting the motor, by sheet metal or the like, but has the bottom and if desired this switch may cause a. reopen., This cage is'supported by angle iron versing of the motor tounwind the cable 2 guides 2 at the corners. A platform 3 is 14. An electric switch 26 has an operating 7 mounted to slide upward in the angle guides arm 27 connected therewith and is disposed 2 and into the cage 1, as will be hereinafter near the bottom of one of the angle iron described. The space within the angle irons guldes 2 n position to be engaged by one of 2 below the cage 1 is normally open, although the doors 4 as it descends. This switch 26 is one or more of the sides may be permanently connected through an electric cable 28 with 5 l sed if d sired, the motor 18 and switch 25 so that when the Doors 4 are slidably mounted within the doors are lowered the circuit is closed to cage 1 to be lowered into the open spaces because operation of themotor and a winding ath th cage t l s th latt r wh n v r up of the cable, which therefore raises the the platform 3 rises. These doors are norplatform 3- g mally held in their elevated positions, shown D1$130S6Cl Wlthln he page 1 and pivotally i Fig, 1, b means f itabl l t h 5 shown mounted as at 29 1s a strip or leaf 30 designed i Fi 3, d hi h are in d b t to be engaged by the platform 3 as the same is have connected therewith a cable 6 which elevfltedm o e t rat Off Of the platform 35 passes Over ll 7 d t d d th and through a doorway 31, which maybe aub k d l n the b tt f th t t a tomatlcally closed by aslid ng door 32 or the bell-crank lever 8, which is carried by the mampulated y e pl tform as 1t main base of the trap 9, and which bell crank TeflCheS E p e m f f pP lever normally extends up through a slot 10, e l d w an 1I1 1 ne 33 In a rat formed in the platform3. A treddle 11 is. pa n from Where 1t be pivotallymounted on'the platform 3 in posimoved 'Q g (1 0 3 A portlon of the ti t engage th b lh kl 8 t actuend of the rat compartment 34 opposite the ate the same and release the doors 4 whenrway 31 y e of glass or the like to proever arat stepson this treddle. 1 vide light for this compartment, in order that 1 A bait cage 12is mounted on the platform the rat willhave a tendency to pass into it. e;

3 to contain the bait, which may be alive, such This portion is designated bythe numeral 36 I as a chicken or the like, and which cage may in Fig. 2. V g

be partially closed on one or more sides, as The rat compartment 34 is supported at at 13. The platform 3 is suspended by means one side of the cage 1- and has a leg 37 for 50 of a cable 14, which extends upwardly supporting the outer end thereof. In using gages an arm 24 of a suitable switch 25 for 05 V the trap, the doors l are normally elevated in the position shown in Fig. l, where they are held by means of one or more latches 5. The bait is placed in the cage 12 to attract the rats or other animals to be trapped and the cage is encased on suitable sides to cause the rats to step on the treddle 11 in attempting to get to the bait. This depresses the tred (lie and actuates the bell-cranl 8 to release the latch 5, which allows the doors a to drop and enclose the rat on the platform to prevent its escape therefrom. In falling, the doors a engage the arm 27 of the switch 26 and manipulate the switch to close the electric circuit to the motor 18, thus actuating the moto to rotate the shaft 16 and drum 15 and wind up the cable 14, thus elevating the platform 3 into the cage '1. The platform engages the lower edge or the leaf of the plate 30, which swings inward and tends to force the rat from the platform as the latter nears its uppermost position, the rat passing through the doorway 31 into the rat compartn'ient S ft, from where it may be removed as desired.

As the platform nears its uppermost posi tion, the drum 15 is rotated rauliciently to turn the dish 21 to move the same lengthwise of the screw 22 to cause the pin 25) to engage the arm 24- of the switch which thus breaks the electric circuit to the motor and, if desired, reverses the motor to again lower the platform, suitable provision being made for the forcing of the rat into the rat compartment 34 and the closing of the door 32, so that the rat will not be released. The doors 4 may then be raised and held by the latch 5, and the trap is then reset for further use.

I claim:

1. A trap of the character described comprising a cage having an opening in the bottom thereof, guides extending downwardly from said opening, a door slidably mounted in the guides, and means for releasing the doors to cause a closing of the space about the opening.

2. A trap of the character described comprising a cage having an opening in the bottom thereof, guides extending downwardly from the opening, doors slidably mounted in the guides, a platform, and means operative from the platform to hold the doors in elevated positions and to release the doors to close the space about the opening.

3. A trap of the character described comprising a cage having an opening in the bottom thereof, guides extending downwardly from said opening, a platform slidably mounted in the guides to be moved upwardly into the opening, a door held suspended and to be lowered about the platform, and means for raising the platform into the opening.

4. A trap of the character described comprising a cage having an opening in the bottom thereof, guides extending downwardly from said opening, a platform mounted for upward movement in the guides, doors slidably mounted in the guides to be lowered about the platform for enclosing the same, means for holding said doors in suspended positions and for releasing the same, and means for operating said holding means from the platform.

5. A trap of the character described comprising a cage having an opening in the bot tom thereof, guides extending downwardly from said opening, a platform mounted for upward movement in the guides, doors slidably mounted in the guides to be lowered about the platform for enclosing the same, means for holding said doors in suspended positions and for releasing the same, means for operating said holding means from the platform, hoisting means for lifting the platform into the cage, and means controlled by the lowering of the doors for causing an act-uation ofthe hoisting means.

6'. Atrap of the character described comprising a cage, a platform suspended beneath the cage to be moved therein, means for closing the space about the platform during said movement, hoisting means for lifting the platform into the cage, means controlled by said closing means for causing an actuation of the hoisting means,an'd means actuated upon a predetermined movement of the hoisting means for disconnecting the same.

7. A trap of the character described comprising a cage, a platform mounted for upward movement therein, an outlet opening in one side of the cage, and a leaf or plate pivotally mounted for swinging movement on the opposite side of the cage to be engaged by the platform upon its upward movement and to be caused to swing across the surface of LllO platform,

8. A trap of the character described comprisin a cage having an opening in the up per portion of a side thereof, means for lifting animals to be caught to said opening, to allow the same to pass therethrough, a compartment communicating with the cage through said opening and having an inclined bottom extending to the opening, and a light opening on the outer side of the compartment approximately in horizontal alignment with the first-mentioned opening.

9. A trap of the character described comprising a cage having an opening in the bot tom thereof, guides extending downwardly from the cage, a platform mounted in the guides, said guides allowing relative movement between the platform and cage to cause a closing of the opening by the cage, and means for causing said relative movement.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

JOHN R. lVEATI-IERLY. 

